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Buying a
home? The process can be stressful. A home
inspection is supposed to give you peace of
mind, but often has the opposite effect. You
will be asked to absorb a lot of information
in a short time. This often includes a
written report, checklist, photographs,
environmental reports, and what the
inspector himself says during the
inspection. All this combined with
the seller's disclosure and what you notice
yourself makes the experience even more
overwhelming. What should you do?
Relax. Most of your
inspection will be maintenance
recommendations, life expectancies and minor
imperfections. These are nice to know about.
However, the issues that really matter will
fall into four categories:
1. Major defects. An example of
this would be a structural failure.
2.
Things that lead to major
defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for
example.
3.
Things that may hinder your
ability to finance, legally occupy, or
insure the home.
4. Safety hazards, such as an
exposed, live buss bar at the electric
panel.
Anything in these categories
should be addressed. Often a serious problem
can be corrected inexpensively to protect
both life and property (especially in
categories 2 and 4).
Most sellers are honest and
are often surprised to learn of defects
uncovered during an inspection. Realize that
sellers are under no obligation to repair
everything mentioned in the report. No home
is perfect. Keep things in perspective.
Don't kill your deal over things that don't
matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a
seller address deferred maintenance,
conditions already listed on the seller's
disclosure, or nit-picky items.
The above is an excerpt from
Sell Your Home For More by Nick
Gromicko.
Copyright (C) 1997 Nick
Gromicko |
